


Talk About Chemistry!

by roxasfanfics



Series: Halcyon Days [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: BFFs, Cheerleaders, Chemistry, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, High School AU, Love, Modern AU, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Senior year, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-07-24 11:46:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16174427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roxasfanfics/pseuds/roxasfanfics
Summary: It's senior year, and beautiful cheerleader Ren Hayasegawa is determined to make it a memorable one. Everything is moving along swimmingly, until suddenly she receives the socially awkward, completely ridiculous Rock Lee as her lab partner in chemistry class! With the boy bungling things at every possible moment, Ren isn't quite sure she likes how her senior year is shaping up to be; however, little by little, she comes to know the lovably strange boy, and begins to think that senior year may just turn out all right after all...DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters within, only my OCs. These rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.





	1. Foreword

Ren breathed in deeply as she pulled her long, auburn hair into a ponytail, smiling her winning smile into the mirror as she expertly wound the band around her think, wavy locks. She turned her head from side to side, her ponytail swishing this way and that behind her head, to ensure that her make-up was flawless. _Perfect!_ she grinned to herself, satisfied with her handiwork, before whirling about to cheerfully skip to her lavish queen-sized bed to pluck her empty bookbag from the quilted comforter, stuffing in a couple of binders and her cheerleading uniform before slipping her arms through the straps and exhaling confidently. Outside, a car horn honked a few times, causing her to gasp and glance at the time on her phone.

“Whoa! It's later than I thought!” Desperate not to keep her ride waiting, she dashed out of her room and stomped down the stairs, taking them two at a time. She skidded into the kitchen to wrench open the pantry and wrestle a package of toaster pastries from the box, already chomping on them as she hurried out the front door, switching the door latch and deciding to neglect the deadbolt in her haste. Her skirt swishing about her thighs, she scurried down the empty driveway to the curb, where a sleek red car was waiting. It was a convertible, naturally, and the two front seats were occupied by none other than her best friends, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka.

“We were beginning to think that you wouldn't show!” Ino teased from the driver's seat as Ren threw her backpack over the door and clambered inside, climbing over the door rather than opening it. “Whoa! You wanna flash the whole neighborhood? You have a great ass, but there's no reason to show it off!”

“Shut up!” Ren whined as she flushed red, self-conscious now about the length of their required school uniforms. As she tugged the hem down, she used the other to pull down the seatbelt and click it into place. “I just didn't want to be late! Now start driving!” Ino clicked her tongue but smiled brightly, switching the car into gear and zooming off toward their high school. Sakura giggled in the passenger seat, looking back at her with a knowing smile.

“I understand, Ren. It's the first day of senior year!” she chimed happily.

“That's right!” Ren nodded eagerly, leaning her arm on the side of the sleek automobile.  “It's the first day of the rest of our lives!” Both she and Sakura jumped violently as Ino slammed her hand down on the steering wheel with a loud _thump!_

“Okay, girls! We're making a pact, here and now! This year, we are all gonna get boyfriends!” she asserted, looking at them in the rearview mirror with determined blue eyes. The other females cried out in agreement, and Sakura even went so far as to scream “Chaaaaa!” and throw her hands into the air. They all began to chat animatedly about school things, like their schedules and their teachers. When the conversation naturally turned to boys they found cute, Ren grew bored and turned her attention to the scenery. Picture-perfect houses rolled by, with well-tended yards filled with flowerbeds and the occasional fancy bush or tree, with stone mailboxes and spacious porches and fancy garages with clean, high-end cars parked within. They had not yet left the large housing complex that Ren lived in, where the upper echelon of Konoha City resided. That picturesque scene faded into the industrial gothic of the city, a mosaic of fast food signs and various billboards plastered with advertisements and shopping centers inter laid with black tar roads with traffic lights strung about. Car engines hummed, and the sidewalks were already streaming with traffic, individuals who walked to work or young families with children not yet old enough to go to school, or people enjoying a day off. Ren watched them, wondering what _their_ lives were like, until Ino and Sakura began giggling loudly.

“What's so funny?” she asked as she turned her head, but she didn't need the answer pointed out to her. They were at a stoplight, front and center, and crossing the road was quite the eccentric individual. He bore a bowl haircut, with thick black hair, and he was dressed in a garish green tracksuit. His eyebrows were like fluffy black caterpillars stuck to his pasty face. That wasn't the worst part, though; he was actually walking on his _hands,_ right across the crosswalk while the other pedestrians scurried out of his path and looked alarmed. Ren immediately recognized him as Rock Lee, the star of the track team and the laughingstock of the female population of Konoha High School.

“Hey, Lee! Get a move on, will ya?” Ino called rudely and honked her horn at him, and the boy turned his head to blink at her in confusion. His arms wobbled, and Ren was concerned that he was going to collapse, but he just bent his arms before pushing himself violently upwards in an impressive somersault. The girls gawked at his acrobatic ability as he landed expertly on his feet, then flashed then a thumbs-up.

“Sorry, ladies! I was just doing my morning training!” he grinned at them, and as the light flicked green, the other cars began to honk at him. “Uh-oh. I am sorry! I will go now!” he squeaked. As he dashed off, Ren's eyes met him for a moment, and she flushed when he winked at her. Then he was gone, leading a dust cloud and a couple of disgruntled passersby in his wake. While Ren was blushing, enthralled by the strange boy, Ino snorted and pressed on the gas to carry them onward.

“It's a shame he's not cute. He's really athletic, you know." Sakura nodded in agreement, then shuddered violently.

“Those eyebrows always give me the _creeps!”_ The girls began to laugh at the boy's expense, but Ren did not join in the banter; he head was turned, sticking out the window as if she hoped to catch a glimpse of the strange boy.

And so, her first day of senior year began with an encounter that would change her life as she knew it…


	2. Enter- Rock Lee!

Ino whirled her car into her assigned parking spot and parked the car, and while the roof was folding back over the car, Ren unbuckled herself and grabbed her backpack, carefully opening the door and climbing out the relatively small car. Across the parking lot stood the impressive three-story, sprawling structure that was Konoha City high school, the top education center in the sprawling mass of people. Ren smiled as she flipped the door shut, excited to see the building after two months of vacation. Though many people dread school, Ren had never found it _particularly_ unenjoyable; even more, it was senior year, the deciding year of the rest of their lives- and it was also the year that Ren was cheerleading captain, and held the responsibility of bringing her team to the national championship. As she stood there, her green eyes sparkling as she imagined the great year before her, a long, drawn out _hoooooooonk_ startled her out of her fantasies. Tires screeched as a black car with booming bass came whirling into the parking spot on the side of Ino's car where she was standing, and she scrunched up her face as the tinted window of the driver's side slowly rolled down to reveal a sneering blonde with shades on.

“Hey, ladies. How you doin'?” the blonde boy purred.

“Naruto! You're such a dweeb! Do you think that's cool? Turn that _down!”_ Sakura demanded with her fingers stuffed into her ears to drown out the obnoxious music blasting from the car’s stereo system. Naruto scowled, but obediently flipped the knob on his radio to bring the music down to an acceptable level. He slipped his arm out of the window, tapping the side of his car in irritated as he whipped off his sunglasses and pouted at Sakura with boyish blue eyes.

“Man, you guys are lame. I bet if Sasuke did it, you would think _he_ looked cool,” he muttered before tapping the door of his car and sliding his arm back into roll up the window. The purring of the engine was suddenly silenced as he cut off the power, and Ren stepped back as the long-legged boy climbed out of his car with his bookbag slung over one shoulder. Naruto was tall, and muscular, and as such he was the star of the high school's basketball team. Ren leaned to the side as she heard the other door open.

“Well, Naruto, Sasuke is hotter than you,” teased the passenger as he stood up and leaned over the roof of the car with a sneer. He had angular eyes, a sharp jawline, and black hair pulled up into a ponytail; like Naruto and the girls, he was a senior, Shikamaru Nara. A bonafide genius, Shikamaru had an IQ over two hundred and was the tech whiz of the school's robotics team as well as chess champion, but he was chronically lazy, which was why he was graduating on time rather than at college somewhere working on his second or third degree. He yawned loudly, shutting the car door before putting his hands behind his head and striding up to the sidewalk. He hadn't even bothered to bring a pencil. “Come on, Naruto. The sooner we get to a classroom, the sooner I can catch a nap,” he called in mild irritation.

“I’m comin', I’m comin'! Yeesh, you lazy bastard,” Naruto snapped back before shooting a toothy grin at the ladies. “See you later!” With that, he scurried after his friend, and the girls watched them approach the school with the other groups of students slowly trickling in through the glass double doors.

“Remind me why you're friends with that dunce again?” Ino tutted as she fixed her lipstick using the reflection in her windshield. Sakura replied something about Naruto having a “good heart,” and they engaged in fervent conversation about something else while they began walking towards the school. Ren followed alongside, only half-listening; her mind was still bent on the strange boy they had stumbled across that morning. _He must train hard._ “Helloooooo? Earth to Ren?” Ino barked suddenly and smacked her in the forehead with the back of her hand, making Ren blink furiously as she struggled to return to reality. She glanced at the beautiful blonde woman, who had her eyebrows raised. “Where's your first class, dummy? Were you just gonna wander the halls like a zombie?”

“Oh! Right!” she cried and hastily fished her schedule out of her backpack. “Let's see… Aha! Chemistry I, room 231. Are either of you in it?” she asked hopefully, lowering the paper. Unfortunately, they both shook their heads sadly.

“Sorry, I took it freshman year,” Sakura explained with a small wave and began strolling off toward her class. “I'm off to Calculus. See you later!”

“See ya, smartypants!” Ino called after her pink-haired friend, then looked at Ren. “It’s Drama for me, but it's on the same floor, at least. I’ll walk with you!” she grinned, and so the pair of girls set off down the hall and up the stairs. Ren talked a little about her plans for practice that afternoon, growing excited as she explained all the work that they would accomplish in the year, and like the good friend she was Ino encouraged her happily. Ren was in a fantastic mood by the time she arrived at her classroom and bid he rest friend farewell, and she strolled into the room and sat down at a desk practically radiating positive energy. _This year is going to be great!_ she thought as she pulled out a notebook and prepared to take notes as the morning bell rang and the teacher began calling the roll. They began to undertake the necessary task of reviewing the syllabus, and in the middle of the disinterested droning of the teacher the classroom door was suddenly thrown open with frightening force.

“I am so sorry I am late! Please forgive me! I’ll do one thousand push-ups as punishment!” the late arrival screeched in apology, and all Ren saw was a green blur as he flew into the room. Her eyes went wide when she realized that it was none other than Rock Lee, but before she could think anything else the boy let out an alarmed cry as he tripped over one of the legs of a nearby desk. Arms flailing as he lost his balance, his momentum continued to carry him across the room, right where Ren was sitting. She screamed as he crashed into the desk, bowling it over with his force; Ren's vision whirled as she was taken down with it, and she cried out in pain as her head smacked against the tiled floor. As she landed, she slid out of the desk, but did not have time to recover; Lee cried out as he tumbled over the desk and landed right on top of her, and the two lay there groaning while half the class screeched with hysterical laughter and the other let out a sickened “ _oooooooh!”_ Her head pounding, Ren weakly looked up, then went beet red when she realized that Lee’s face was crammed right in the middle of her sizable breasts.

“Get off!” she screamed, thoroughly embarrassed, and he gasped as he shot up into a sitting position.

“I am sorry! Are you okay?” he cried. Ren had grown an even darker shade of red, as the boy was essentially straddling her, and all she could do was release a series of shocked gasps and half-words as she basically short-circuited. No one was attempting to help her, either, but had their phones out filming and snapping pictures of the entire ordeal. “Did you hit your head?” Lee asked when he noticed her holding her hand to her auburn hair tenderly.

“Rock Lee! Get off that girl and tell me why you're late!” snapped the teacher, and Lee's spine went as stiff as a board.

“Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!” the dorky boy squeaked and jumped off of Ren, righting the desk before snapping to attention like a sorry. “I was doing my morning training, sir, and had to change out of my track suit into my uniform! However, I could not find my left sock, sir, and I tore apart the locker room looking for it! I had to find my sock to have a proper uniform, you see, and so that is why I was late! I will do one hundred jumping jacks as punishment!” he explained, and actually began to do the exercises. After her got to about the third one, the teacher shook his head and waved his hand to stop him.

“Just get in your seat,” he sighed and turned to the projector screen to begin lecturing, and Lee flushed pink as the class snickered at him. Ren was still on the floor, only having just pulled herself to a sitting position, and she glanced up to see Lee holding a hand out to her with an extremely serious expression.

“I am very sorry. Are you hurt? Do I need to take you to the infirmary?” he asked. Though other girls may have been disgusted, Ren found herself charmed by his level of concern for her, and she shyly shook her head and took his hand. He pulled her to her feet almost effortlessly, making her swoon a little. Lee gave her a military solute before marching off to his seat, which happened to be just behind her. Dazed from a mixture of shock and confusion, Ren slowly slid into her desk, trying to ignore the irritating headache that had arisen from her rough contact with the floor. The teacher began drowning on about the basic chemistry of life, atoms and molecules, and Ren soon forgot the pain as she diligently and neatly wrote her notes. The teacher abruptly stopped lecturing, staring at a point behind her, and Ren turned around to see Lee had risen his hand. His expression was still that deadly serious one, with his forehead scrunched so tightly that it made his caterpillar-like eyebrows arc appreciably.

“Yes, Lee?”

“I do not understand, sir.” The class burst into assorted giggles, but the teacher silenced them with a sharp glare before exhaling deeply.

“It's really quite simple, Lee. Atoms are the most basic unit of an element. Elements are the different components that make up life. Elements combine in different ways to make different things, meaning that different atoms are joined together in different ways,” the teacher explained. Lee's mouth opened in a small “O" as he exhaled deeply and nodded in understanding. Ren raised an eyebrow as the teacher turned back and began lecturing, while Lee listened intently. _This is pretty basic stuff. Does he really not get it?_

Class continued on like that, with Lee interrupting every few minutes to have a concept explained in more basic terms. Even though the entire class continuously laughed at him, he raised his hand every time with that same, super-serious look on his face. Ren found it quite commendable; even the most stout of heart would begin to quail under the harsh laughter of their peers, but Lee seemed to almost be unaware of their condescension. As the bell rang to signal the change in classes, the students stood and began packing up their things, but the teacher interrupted them before they could depart.

“Ah, I almost forgot. Everyone, you have assigned lab partners for the lab section of this course, which we do on Wednesdays and Fridays. I’ll announce them now; once I call your name and you have confirmed your partner, you may leave.” The teacher began announcing names, and Ren shifted impatiently from one foot to another as her peers slowly trickled out. “Rock Lee and Ren Hayasegawa,” the teacher abruptly announced, and Ren bristled as Rock Lee threw up his hands in the air and crowed loudly behind her. As her ears rang, the boy clapped his hand on her shoulder and leaned over to grin broadly at her.

“This is fantastic! I am excited to work with you!” he cried and grabbed her hand to shake it vigorously, jerking her arm up and down before releasing her and speeding off. She stood there for a moment, shell-shocked, before she robotically walked out of the classroom and headed to her next class. Her feet moved on their own, because her mind was too busy whirling.

 _Rock Lee as my chemistry partner?_ She wasn't sure what to feel about it; also she knew was that her senior year was starting off to be very interesting indeed…


	3. The First Practice

Ren exhaled deeply as she pulled the last of her books from her locker and pushed the metal storage unit closed, hefting the heavy bookbag over her shoulder before turning to proceed down the hallway. She meandered along with the steady flow of students streaming toward the large, glass double doors that were the entrance to the school, but when she arrived in the rotunda she suddenly veered to the right, shoving her way through the oblivious students to finally emerge at the edge of the crowd. Huffing and slouched over from wriggling between bodies, she took a moment to gather herself before she primly smoothed her rumpled clothes, pinned the flyaways in her hair back behind her ears, and set off down the empty hall leading to the gymnasium.

As she pushed open the wooden door that led to the locker rooms, a few cheerful female voices floated down the short hallway to greet her. Smiling and waving to the few freshmen who had made the team that year and were currently in various stages of changing into their cheerleading uniforms, Ren marched over to a bench and set her bag down on top of the metal surface to unzip the bag and pull out her own uniform. She unbuttoned her school shirt and shrugged out of it, folding it up neatly and placing it in her bag. She jumped when she felt someone suddenly grab a handful of her chest and squeeze slightly, and with a startled shriek she whipped around and scurried away from the unknown assailant, her arms forming an “X" across her chest to act as a shield from further groping. When she turned about, she had expected to find that one of the boys who were on the basketball team had snuck in; they shared the gym with them for practice, and it had happened once or twice in her school career. Instead, she was very shocked and quite befuddled to find that it was _Ino_ who had snuck up behind her, and was still making the squeezing motion with her hand.

“How the hell do you not have a boyfriend with those? What are you, a D? Double-D? An E, even?” she asked with a sour expression, still staring hard at her breasts, which were contained in a black sports bra. Ren’s face scrunched up into a scowl and she grabbed one of her athletic training shoes to lob it at the blonde girl; unfortunately, she ducked, and the shoe sailed over her head to slam into the forehead of one of the freshman girls who had been watching the strange situation unfold.

“Sorry!” she called, leaning sideways to look past Ino, before she straightened up and frowned at her. “You can't do stuff like that, you know! You scared the crap out of me, and besides, people will think you’re some kind of lesbian!” she snorted and lowered her arms, comfortable now that she realized it was just one of her vice-captains. Ino just tossed her head, her long, bleach-blonde ponytail whirling like a mace as she waved a hand dismissively.

“Pfft, whatever. Seriously, though! You have one hell of a body, Ren! How are the boys not drooling all over you?” she cried as she set her school bag down on the bench and began unbuttoning her own shirt. Ren shrugged as she wriggled out of her skirt, tossing it aside to begin pulling on her uniform skirt. She wasn't sure why she wasn't popular with the opposite sex. It's not like she had _never_ been asked out, but it was certainly much less than both Ino and Sakura, and it was people that she barely knew- boys on the local sports teams, boys she had in class, even random guys who happened to see her strolling down the hall. Ino suddenly leaned over and snapped her fingers in front of her face. “Hello? Earth to Ren?” Apparently she had wanted an actual answer and it was not a rhetorical question.

“I don't know,” she huffed as she pulled her uniform top over her head. “It's not like I’m completely unpopular. I just don't date guys willy-nilly. I want to get to know them first. Maybe that rumor has gotten around." She pulled the sections of her auburn hair that had gotten trapped beneath the green-and-white fabric and flopped it over her shoulder with a small frown. “To be honest, getting a boyfriend isn't my top priority. I’m more concerned with the cheerleading competitions this year.”

“Aw! But we made a pact!” Ino whined in a wheedling voice, scrunching up her face. Even with such an immature, ugly expression, Ren thought that Ino still looked beautiful. It was no wonder that the boys were throwing themselves at her left and right.

“What about you? Guys ask you out on the daily,” she smirked at her, and the way Ino's cheeks turned pink, Ren knew that she had struck a nerve. Ino haughtily crossed her arms and glared at her, one of her pretty blue eyes twitching in annoyance.

“Oh, don't turn this around on me. You know I have high standards! I need a _hunk!_ ”

“You need a _Sasuke_ ,” Ren accused playfully, then giggled loudly as Ino grabbed her skirt and began beating her over the head with the blue pleated skirt. “Ow! Okay! Okay! I take it back!” she cackled as she held her arms defensively over her head as the embarrassed girl whacked her with the soft clothing article, and she was still chuckling as Ino shoved it into her backpack and began angrily pulling her cheerleading uniform on. Ren smoothed out her hair, which had been ruffled by the girl's flustered reaction, before sitting down on the bench to pull off her school flats and slip into her sneakers.

She and Ino walked out of the locker rooms and into the spacious gymnasium. Three sets of bleachers line each wall, while the fourth contained the concessions stand and restroom area. Five basketball hoops were suspended from the ceiling, two on each long side of the court and one on each short side, serving as the official hoops for games. The school’s mascot symbol, a smirking ninja wearing a metal headband engraved with a leaf symbol, was plastered in the middle of the court, painted underneath the white lines of the basketball court proper. It was a standard gym, but much nicer than most; Konoha City High School prided itself in its sports programs, from their chief money-maker football to more low-key sports like archery and bowling, and spared no expense for any of them. The proof lie in the menagerie of banners hung on the wall, displaying the long list of school, regional, national, and even international records and victories, and those that depicted this year's graduating seniors. The banners for the cheerleaders were currently displayed alongside those of the football team, which were housed in the massive stadium complex across the street.

Sakura was already dressed and dragging out the gigantic foam mats that they practiced on. On the other half of the gym, the basketball players were already running drills, and the sound of bouncing basketballs echoed throughout the giant court as Ren strode across the smooth floor. Her sneakers made _squeak-squeak_ sounds as they made contact with the waxy surface of the basketball court, but the sound was absorbed as she hopped up onto the padded surface of the practice mat. Sakura had already brought out the stereo that played their routine songs, too. _On top of things, as usual. She plays into the role of co-vice captain perfectly,_ she thought with a smile as the pink-haired girl finished pulling the last section of the mat into place.

“Thank you, Sakura!” she called cheerfully to the girl. Winded, she waved lazily with one hand while her other lay over her chest, which was heaving as she breathed deeply and caught her breath. Though she was by no means out of shape, lugging those heavy mats about was certainly not easy. Ren glanced at the time displayed on her phone screen, then set it down on the edge of the mat by the radio where it would be protected from being trod on. It was 3:30 p.m. on the dot, and the start of the first practice of the year. Girls were milling about on the mat, chatting, but all of them snapped silent when Ren abruptly put her fingers in her mouth the shrilly whistle. “Okay, ladies! It's time to begin!” she called, and they roughly formed a line in front of her. Tryouts had been held at the end of the academic year, so Ren was familiar with some of their faces, but they did not hold training camps during the summer break, so it was essentially as if she were starting with an whole new team. “Good afternoon. For those of you who have forgotten, I’m Ren Hayesagawa, the captain. This lovely lady here is one of my co-vice captains, Ino Yamanaka-“ Ren gestured to her right, where her friend was standing.

“Hiya!” she chirped with a cheerful smile and wave.

“And this is my other co-vice captain, Sakura Haruno.”

“Pleased to be working with you! Let’s make it a great year, cha!” she cried with a fist pump. She then made the girls go down the line introducing themselves. Once those formalities where over, Ren was all-business.

“All right, girls! Watch carefully. We're going to start with a basic cheer,” Ren announced, and the rest of the veterans joined her in a line while the rookies stood off to the side to watch. “Five, six, seven, eight!” Ren cried as she clapped her hands. “Big G!” they cried in unison, then clapped loudly twice. “Little O!” Another two claps. “Big G, Little O, let's go!” As they chanted that sentence, they fluidly moved through a series of pom-pom motions, starting high in the air before moving to their lower abdomens and then finishing off with a rolling motion and throwing their arms in the air. They repeated the cheer two more times, and at the end they stomped their feet and rolled the pom-poms yelling, “ _Gooooooo Ninjas! Chaaaaa!”_ The “ _chaaaaaa"_ part had been Sakura's addition, naturally.

After running through it one more time, Ren and her vice-captains turned it over to the rookies, watching carefully as they performed the routine. They fumbled over the words at first, though it was simple, and were completely put of sync, but that was to be expected of a crop of freshman and sophomore girls. Ren walked through the line as they went through it once more, commenting on a girl's posture hear, telling a girl she needed to be louder there, and other constructive criticisms. “All right! That's enough of that one for now. Let's try something a little more complicated,” she asserted before taking her place at the front once more. “Ino, if you would.”

“Extra, extra, read all about it!” she yelled. The girls in the back row stomped a tune, while the ones in front chimed, “The Ninjas are gonna win, so read all about it!” As they chanted, they moved through a series of more complicated motions; they began with a clap, then stomped their feet twice, then a quick series of arm movements and finishing off with the signature cheerleader pose with a hand on their hips, the other in the air, and one leg pulled up in a P-figure. Ren could see the gears in the other girls' heads turning as they watched the routine, so she and the veterans performed it slowed-down, dragging out the motions so they could memorize them. When it came their turn, however, it was a muffled mess of half-hearted chanting and sluggish, confused movements.

“Good grief! You have your work cut out for you this year, Ren,” Ino tutted with a shake of her head.

“Be nice, Ino. They’re beginners,” Sakura reminded her friend patiently. Ren just sighed simply and announced that they would display the cheer once more.

Practice went like that for two hours, performing a chant and having the girls copy it. They moved through all the basic cheers that they would perform at the football games, mostly because Ren didn't feel like they could tackle tumbling routines at their current level. When the alarm on her phone blared in a poppy tune, indicating the end of practice, Ren exhaled deeply and ran the back of her hand across her forehead, frowning when it came away slicked with sweat. “Okay, everyone, great practice! We'll meet back here tomorrow, same time, so bring your A-game!” she called, and the girls began filing out of the gym back to the locker room. A few of them lingered behind, staring longingly across the gym to where the basketball players were receiving their end-of-practice lecture from the coach, Kakashi Hatake.

“Look at them. So gorgeous.”

“Ah! Naruto looks so hot when he's so sweaty! And those eyes. Don't you think that blue color is so beautiful with that bright blonde hair of his?”

“ _I_ like Sasuke. He's so cool and mysterious. And those arm muscles! I think I might faint!”

Girlish whispering like this floated around Ren, but she wasn't gawking like the rest of them. Sure, they were physically attractive, but that had never been what mattered to her. _Unless they have a good personality, all you end up with is a hot dirtbag. I'd rather have an average guy with a heart of gold,_ she thought wryly as she began dragging the heavy mats back toward the corner of the gym. As she shuffled backward, bent over, she froze when a high-pitched whistle suddenly echoed across the gym. She glanced over her shoulder to see that the basketball team had been dismissed, and that a couple of them whom Ren did not know had wandered over to the edge of the mat and were smirking lewdly at her.

“Nice ass, babe. Mind if I give it a good smack?” Ren's face flushed with red fire, but she just turned around and continued doing what she was doing. It was always better to ignore boys like that.

“Ooh, thanks for the view. Bend over a little more, though, wouldja?” another cackled at her.

“You got bloomers on, doll, or just a thong? Or _nothing_?”  another jeered, and they exploded into raucous laughter, apparently finding their sexual harassment of her quite amusing. Ren bit down on her lip as the boys continued to jeer at her. Sakura and Ino, who would normally come to her defense, were off in the corner of the gym talking to Naruto and Sasuke, and the other freshman girls were standing awkwardly off to the side, looking fearful and unsure of what to do. _Just ignore them, Ren._ She gasped as she suddenly bumped into something behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to find that one of them had planted himself directly into her path, and her behind was brushing right over his groin area. She went an even darker shade of red and went to move, but he suddenly grabbed her by the hips. “Hey, hey, where ya goin'? We’re just getting started,” he grinned at her.

“Let go of me!” she demanded and straightened up, and as she did his arms slid about her waist and pulled her close to his body. Her heart jumped into her throat, its beat rapidly accelerating, and her red face went deathly pale in a matter of seconds.

“What's the matter? I just want to get to know you better,” he purred in her ear. Afraid and mortified, Ren shook violently as the panic set in, and she wriggled around in his grasp.

“Let go! I’m not interested, you pervert!” she shrieked, managing to wrestle free. However, as she scampered away, he caught hold of her wrist with painful force. As she cried out, tears rising to her eyes, one of the girls finally managed to pluck up some courage and darted toward the corner of the room, shrieking for help and pointing wildly at the developing scene. Ren could see over the man's shoulder as Naruto and Sasuke shoved the girls aside to begin running at her attackers, but before they could even reach the corner of the mat, the boy suddenly yelped in pain as his arm was forcibly removed from hers and wrenched behind his back in a savage hold. Ren gulped and took a few fearful steps back, then gasped when she realized who was standing there.

“She said she is not interested. You need to learn how to take ‘no’ for an answer,” Lee huffed as he looked down at the boy in utter disdain. The boy was squirming in his grasp, spitting curses and going on about how Ren was a ‘stupid slut’ and other derogatory terms. She saw Lee's thick eyebrows narrow, but before he could act, Naruto had cleared the mat and punched the boy right in the jaw.

“Watch your mouth, you good-for-nothin' shitbag! That's a lady!” he fumed, his teeth grinding together and steam practically shooting out of his ears. Before he could punch him again, Sakura ran up behind him and pinned his arms behind his back, and Naruto just stood there stamping his foot and slinging curses at the nearly unconscious boy. With a huff, Lee released his arm lock, and the boy dropped to the ground with a groan. As the other two boys went to rush him, Sasuke planted himself firmly between them, glaring daggers.

“You two have a problem?” he growled. They gulped and froze in their tracks, shaking their heads emphatically and slowly slinking around the terrifying senior to drag their friend to his feet and make a hasty retreat.

“I’ll have you off the team, the lot of ya!” Naruto screeched after them, still bright red with anger. “Grrrrrrr…” he growled as Sakura released him, holding up one balled fist, before he cooled down enough to look over at Ren. “Why did you just let them do that to ya? Ya should've socked them!”

“Not everyone is as violent as you, Naruto. Look at Sasuke! He handled it so professionally!” Ino gushed with a squeal, batting her eyes at the handsome basketball player who was completely uninterested in her affections. With a huff, he tossed his varsity jacket over his shoulder and glared at her.

“You just stood there. No wonder they called you a slut.”

“Hey, Sasuke! That's uncalled for!” Naruto screeched and whipped around to point at him, teeth grinding again, while the cool boy just shrugged it off. Ren hung her head, on the verge of tears. _He's right… I just stood there while they said such nasty things about me… But I…_

“I was really scared,” she sniffled, and the squabble abruptly ceased as they realized she was crying.

“You jerk! You made her cry! Apologize!” Naruto shouted angrily to Sasuke, who looked mildly uncomfortable and was gazing off in the distance with a frown. He mumbled something on the level of an apology, but it didn't make Ren feel any better. She just continued to softly weep, ashamed of herself. Someone placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up tearfully to see Lee smiling brightly at her.

“Do not cry!” He was grinning toothily at her and giving her a thumbs-up. She sniffled slightly, then nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. _He's right. I shouldn't be feeling sorry for myself. I have to make sure that nothing like this happens again._

“Thank you. You fought that guy off for me.” She graciously dipped her head at him, and he smiled sheepishly, blushing a bright shade of pink and rubbing the back of his neck while mumbling shy nonsense.

“Yo, Lee, what're you even doing here, dude?” Naruto asked him with raised eyebrows.

“Oh, yes! I was in the hallway putting away equipment when I saw what was happening through the window in the door, and so I naturally had to come to Ren's aid!” he reported matter-of-factly, holding up a finger and closing his eyes while his other hand rested on his hip. “I just cannot stand for men who think that they own women and can do what they want! It is shameful!” he continued hotly, his hand clenching into a fist as he fumed. Ren blushed slightly, flattered, while Sakura rolled her eyes and Ino made a throwing-up motion behind his back. Naruto smiled cheekily at him and walked over to clap him on the shoulder, calming him down immediately.

“All right, Casanova, that's enough outta you. Whadaya say we go get some ramen?” he offered, to which Lee replied with a cheerful crow. “Sasuke, you game?” he asked the raven-haired boy, who shrugged with disinterest. “That's a yes, then. How about you ladies? Wanna meet us at Ichiraku's?”

“I have to plan tomorrow's practice and do my homework, but thanks for the offer,” Ren answered.

“I have Calculus homework, sorry,” Sakura sighed and looked forlornly at Sasuke.

“I’m these girls' rides!” Ino chimed, and Ren knew that she was only refusing because she didn’t want to hang out with either Naruto or Lee. The blonde took no offense, just shrugged and waved at them dismissively. They said their goodbyes, and her friends assisted her in putting away the mats. Once they had changed, they walked out to the car, chatting and surfing on their phones. Sakura suddenly gasped.

“Oh, no! Look what's gone viral!” she groaned and held the phone out to Ren, who flushed when she realized it was the video of Lee pinning her to the ground after he had slammed into her that morning. She groaned, running a hand over her face as she came to the realization that she and the dorky boy would be the subject of rumor until something more juicy came along. Ino just laughed.

“Man, Ren, you sure have some rotten luck! I don’t wanna be you!” she cackled as she clapped her repeatedly on the back, hooting with laughter. Ren smiled weakly, oddly not embarrassed. _Rock Lee… He's certainly an interesting character,_ she thought as she slid into the backseat of the convertible and rubbed her head, which was still swollen from striking the tiled classroom floor. Ino was still chortling at her expense while Sakura chastised her, but Ren was barely listening.

She was thinking about how manly Lee had looked when he had pinned that guy's arm so effortlessly.


	4. A Party?

Ren nibbled on the end of her pencil as she strode down the hall, stating intensely down at the piece of paper on top of her binder nestled in the crook of her arm. She was lost in thought, occasionally scribbling a line or two on the pave or furiously scratching things out, desperately attempting to construct a new cheer for her team to perform. It had been a week now, and somehow or another she had managed to whip them into some semblance of shape. They were fairly good at performing the basic cheers, and she had been running them through tumbling exercises. All cheerleaders were required to enroll in tumbling classes over the summer, so thankfully she had much more to work with in that regard. The first pep rally of the year was fast approaching, and she wanted to prepare a performance that would set precedence for the rest of the year. _I want the school body to look forward to the pep rallies and football games! I want us to be the reason they get excited!_ She thought giddily as she scrawled another line onto the page. The traffic of the hallway naturally flowed around her, adapting to the girl that wasn't paying attention. She glanced up occasionally to ensure that she was indeed heading to her classroom and not wandering off toward some random section of the school she had no business being in. She was just putting the finishing touches on her new creation when she abruptly felt a hand on her shoulder; snapped out her concentration, she whirled around to find a certain blonde-haired grinning boy.

“Hey, Ren!” Naruto grinned cheekily at her, his bright blue eyes glimmering with joy as they always were. Once she got over the initial shock of his sudden appearance, she smiled sweetly up at him; meanwhile, due to his considerable height over her, he noticed her handiwork and cocked his head to the side. “Oh? What's this?”

“It's a new cheer for the girls! I haven't come up with a routine yet, but I’m hoping to perform it at the pep rally in a couple of weeks!” she explained happily. Naruto probably couldn't care a lick, but despite that he matched her smile in brightness and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Really? Well, you'd better whip those girls into shape! I can't wait to see!” he told her encouragingly. “Anyway, I’m glad I caught you! I’m throwing a party tomorrow, ya know, to kick off the year, and I wanted to know if you and the girls wanted to come!” He looked so excited to invite her, and though she felt mildly awful about disappointing him, but she opened her mouth to refuse the invitation nonetheless; however, before she could even get the words out of her mouth, she was nearly bowled over by Ino appearing out of nowhere to throw her arm roughly around her friend’s shoulders.

“We'd _love_ to go!” she cried with enough volume to make Ren's ears ring, and she was too busy reeling to offer any kind of resistance. Over the high-pitched reverberations of Ino's voice in her eardrum she couldn't hear Naruto give any details, but Ino dutifully committed it to memory before sending him off with a cheerful wave. Once Ren was finally able to compute, she turned to Ino with a frown.

“A _party?_ Ino, you know I don't go to parties,” she pouted. Most people her age certainly participated in such revelries, but Ren didn't care for them; all the people, stuffed in close proximity, all the sweat and noise, not to mention what sort of immoral nonsense was going on, booze and drugs and sex- it all left a bad taste in her mouth. She would much prefer to be working on developing the new routine or writing another cheer for her girls to try, or tackling some of her homework. Ino didn't seem so share her enthusiasm for staying on top of things.

“Come on, Ren! You need to loosen _up_!” Ino tutted, and Ren squirmed in discomfort as she pinched her cheek roughly. “You've been working too hard! A party is a perfect way to let off some steam- and meet cute boys!” she added with a sly grin, while Ren just groaned miserably. Once Ino got something into her head, not even a sledgehammer could knock it out, and the cheerleading captain knew that she was now roped into attending the first party of the year.

“What's this about meeting cute boys?” The girls turned as someone giggled behind them to find the last link in their little trio- Sakura, who was smirking slightly as she hugged her thick binder to her chest. Ren could see an excessive amount of colored tabs sticking out from the thick sheaths of notebook paper. _Studious, as always._

“We’re going to Naruto's party tomorrow!” Ino announced with a squeal, throwing one arm in the air while the other remained firmly wrapped around Ren’s shoulders, as if to keep her from running away. _Even if I did, she'd just show up at my house this weekend and drag me out anyway,_ she thought with a small sigh, resigning herself to the situation. As long as her girls were there, surely she would have fun, right? Naruto and his friends were pretty good guys, too, so surely nothing _too_ wild would be going on. That is what she told herself, anyway. Ren didn't listen to the girls’ conversation, but when she tuned back in they were giddily wondering if Sasuke would be there, so she knew that Sakura had been convinced to attend as well. _Ino certainly has wicked powers of persuasion._ “All right, ladies! After school today, we are going _shopping!_ Can't seduce the boys without a killer outfit!” Ino cackled with delight before releasing Ren and skipping down the hallway, already hatching little schemes in her mind to get the three of them dates by the end of the party. Ren exhaled deeply, shaking her head.

“I heard that Lee was going to be at the party,” Sakura announced suddenly, and Ren looked at her quizzically, unsure of what had brought on the abrupt statement. She saw the strange boy every day in class, and considering that they were lab partners (though they had yet to begin conducting lab, that would begin the following week), she was quite friendly with him, despite his quirks and what people thought about it. She was grateful to him, after all, for fending off those lewd boys the previous week, and her interaction with him had shown that he was a good person. Still, none of that was enough to promote Sakura bringing him up in conversation.

“Oh? He is friends with Naruto, so that isn't surprising,” she responded nonchalantly and looked down at her crudely completed cheer again, reading it over to see if she could offer any improvements. As she laid the pencil to the paper to change a phrase, Sakura prodded further.

“Aren't you interested in him?” Ren’s cheeks flared pink, though she wasn't sure why. It was an innocent question; why should she be embarrassed or defensive? She took a moment to keep her emotions from flying out of control before looking at her friend with a smile.

“He's a nice guy, for sure, but I barely know him. He's just my chemistry partner. I don't think I want to get to know him any better than that. That video is still floating around, you know. I don't need any more fodder for rumors, Sakura. Do you know how much trouble it has been with all these people coming up to me and asking if we're a thing?” she told her matter-of-factly. It was true. The video, as well as the incident in the gym, had gotten around quickly. Lee was a nice guy, and she was grateful to him, but she could not deny that he had been troublesome for her. It was several times a day that a curious person inquired about the nature of their relationship, or some of the more rude of their peers shot some lewd jibe at her, and she was sure that Lee was receiving similar treatment. Really, it would he better for them to maintain a strictly professional relationship. Before the girl could respond, Ren was suddenly shoved slightly to the side as someone briskly stomped by. She heard a muffled “Excuse me” from the perpetrator, but they did not stop to turn or see if she was all right; as she righted herself and moved to shout after them in irritation, the words died in her throat.

It was Lee.

“Shit, do you think he heard you?” Sakura hissed in her ear, though it was quite obvious that the boy had. Anytime he saw her in the hallway he would giddily shout and wave, while she would smile awkwardly and acknowledge him before scurrying on her way. His stark difference in behavior was evidence enough to suggest he had heard her complaining, and worse, taken it to heart. She immediately felt immensely guilty. _I didn't mean to hurt his feelings._ She had not the time to chase after him and explain herself, though; the bell signaling one minute remaining before class rang shrilly above their heads, and so Ren was forced to bid her friend farewell and scurry off down the hall, but try as she might, she could not get the strange boy out of her head for the remainder of the day.

 _Ugh. I feel so bad! I wish that I could talk to him and make things right,_ Ren thought moodily as she waited beside Ino's car, shifting from foot to foot as the anxiety coursed through her veins. Since it was Friday, there were no sports practices, and so she often was forced to wait in the parking lot for the other two girls since they came from further within the campus. Thus, she was alone with her thoughts. She kept trying to tell herself that it didn't really matter what Lee thought of her anyway, that they weren't even friends and that her complaints had been justified, but then she would think of his muted voice and the way his shoulders had been slumped and his head bowed, and the cold guilt would flood through her once more. _He’s been so nice to me, and I pretty much threw it back in his face…_ she moped. _I’ll find him at the party tomorrow and try and apologize,_ she resolved. No amount of brooding about it was going to take back the words, so she had to amend the situation. Just as she had come up with her solution, her driver finally arrived.

“Sorry, sorry! I got caught up!” Ino laughed as she hopped over the parking block and skirted the edge of her car to unlock the door. Sakura trotted along behind her, looking slightly annoyed from having been inconvenienced by whatever gossip Ino had been partaking in. “All right! To the mall!” she squealed when they had piled into the vehicle, and so they set off down the highway. Now that Ren had solved her internal dilemma, more or less, she was able to relax and chat amiably with her two girlfriends. Though a party was not her first choice of entertainment, Ino and Sakura were excited, and she did not want to dampen their happy mood on account of her own apprehension. The two girls pulled her into the department stores and descended upon the racks of clothes with glee, and she did her best to be encouraging, complimenting them on their fashion choices and offering suggestions to match accessories. _I’m glad they’re having fun!_ She thought with a smile as she sat on the bench outside the dressing rooms. Once they had chosen their outfits, they rounded on her.

“Ren, aren’t you going to get something?” Sakura asked as she placed her chosen items to the side. The auburn-haired girl straightened up, blinking, at her sudden inquiry.

“Oh. I wasn’t intending to. I have plenty of nice clothes to wear to the party,” she said, but of course, Ino wasn't having that.

“No way! You have to get something hot! Something sexy! Something to make the boys drop at your feet!” the assertive girl screeched, and she whirled about to grab Sakura by the arm. “Wait here! Me and Sakura are gonna go get some outfits for you!” she huffed before dragging her hapless friend out of the dressing rooms and back into the store proper. Ren could only smile and shake her head, leaning back against the wall as she guarded their clothes and waited for them to return. _Doesn’t take no for an answer, does she?_

Soon enough, the girls returned, laden with various articles for Ren to try. They bustled her into the dressing room and tossed over the outfits they wanted her to model, offering their opinions whenever she opened to door for them to see. For the most part, they nodded approvingly or grimaced in disapproval, and the “magic outfit" did not appear. Though it was an inconvenience, it was still fun to pretend to be a model and flaunt around for her friends while they clapped and laughed, so Ren didn't mind. About ten minutes into the endeavor, one of the last outfits was a ruffled pink skirt with a slim-fitting, lighter pink tank top and a white jacket of Jean material, with a pair of white sandals to match. As she swung open the door and did a twirl, she smiled, “What do you think of this one?”

“That’s it! That's the one!” Ino crowed triumphantly and clapped her hands. “That skirt makes your legs look great, and that shirt really highlights your curves- plus the jacket to preserve that modesty you insist on hanging on to.”

“Ino, you make it sound like you're some kind of hotshot. You're as much of a virgin as the two of us,” Sakura laughed, and Ino whirled on her friend with pink cheeks.

“What's that supposed to mean?” As they bickered playfully, Ren laughed as she retreated back into the dressing room to change back into her school uniform. They headed to the register to pay, and now even Ren found herself growing excited to attend Naruto's party and show of her new outfit, and who knew, maybe even find herself a date. _After I make up with Lee, of course._ That was important.

In the back of her mind, part of her wondered, _I wonder what he'll think of this outfit? Will he like it?_ The thought surprised her, and she thought again of how Sakura had brought up the boy earlier that day. _Maybe… There's more to me and Lee than I realize._

She couldn't dwell on it much after that, as Ino grabbed ahold of her to cart her and Sakura further into the mall, and the strange boy with the fuzzy eyebrows and big smile faded from Ren's mind…


	5. Ren's First Party

“What do you think, Ren? Should I go with ‘Midnight Serenade' or ‘Apple Blossom Waltz’? Ino asked from her seat in one of Ren’s plush bean bag chairs as she held up two perfume bottles, frowning as she continued to glance at each in turn. Ren sat in a towel at her vanity, running a brush through her freshly washed and blow-dried hair, which was glowing like the soft embers of a fire as the light of the setting sun streamed in through her bedroom window. It was about six o'clock in the evening, about two hours before Naruto's party was set to begin. Her two friends had just arrived at her house to prepare and were currently unloading their outfits, accessories, make-up, and other necessary goods while Ren finished her after-shower routine.

“I would say ‘Midnight Serenade.’ It sounds sexy and mysterious,” she replied. “I’ll take that other one, though. That one sounds more my speed,” she added as Ino set the purple glittery perfume bottle to the side and prepared to return the other apple-red and gold one to her purse; at Ren's prompting, she tossed the plastic bottle across the bedroom into her waiting hands, and she set the bottle aside on her vanity before once more teasing the knots out of her stubborn hair. In the reflection of the mirror, she could see Sakura sitting cross-legged on her bed, one leg drawn up as she painted her toenails with summery green nail polish.

“So, Ren, where are your parents this time?” the pink-haired girl inquired after pressing a spongey toe separator between her toes, wiggling them slightly as the polish slowly dried.

“Africa. They’re helping to build clean water treatment facilities,” she responded, setting down the brush and grabbing her curling iron. As she wound a strand of her hair around the iron and held it close to her head, feeling the heat radiate from its metal surface, she frowned slightly at her through the mirror. “They've been gone for a month now.” Ren's parents were both missionaries and traveled the world to conduct service projects and preach their religion to others. When she was small, Ren was homeschooled and would accompany them on their trips, but when she became a teenager and expressed interest in attending college and have a professional career, they enrolled her in high school so that she could have a stable life and focus on her studies. Thus, for the last four years she had spent most of her time alone and learning how to be self-sustainable. Her parents sent her monthly allowances to pay the bills and purchase groceries, so she had not the need to acquire a job, but they were still useful life skills to know.

“Does it ever get lonely?” Ino asked while pulling her long, bleach-blonde hair into a ponytail. Ren pulled out her curl, watching it bounce just above her shoulder, before twirling another thick chunk around the iron. Ren talked to her parents frequently, but it was undeniable that a distance had grown between them.

“Sometimes,” she admitted, then turned to face them with a smile. “But, I have you girls, so I’m all right.”

“That's right!” Ino grinned brightly and jumped up to wrench off her shirt and toss it aside. “We're gonna have a good time tonight! It's time to get ourselves a _date_!” she howled with glee, her voice slightly muffled as she pulled a tube top over her head. When she straightened and out and turned toward the mirror, she jiggled her chest slightly. “Does this make my boobs look good? Or is it too slutty? I want to look available but not easy.”

“I think it's fine, Ino,” Sakura laughed as she painted the toes on her other foot. The other cheerleader peered in the reflective glass for a moment, then shrugged and slipped out of her skirt to exchange it for a pair of snugly-fitting skinny jeans. After her toes had successfully dried, Sakura changed into a white miniskirt and a green short-sleeved shirt with a plunging backline, complete with a pair of sandals to display her decorated feet. By this time, Ren had finished curling her hair, and she tossed it from side to side to admire the bouncing ringlets before changing into her own outfit. As she was spritzing herself with the flower-scented perfume, Ino glanced over at her.

“So, I heard that Rock Lee has taken a liking to you. Apparently he talks about how smart you are in Chemistry all the time,” she mused, and Ren grimaced at her, definitely not in the mood for her baiting. She turned back to her mirror, pursing her lips as she applied a thick smear of lip gloss. Part of her was immensely flattered that he thought so highly of her, but part of her was a bit annoyed, as it was probably such behavior that led to the incessant rumors flying around about their potential courtship. That irritation faded when she recalled the instance in the hallway, how blue he had seemed at the idea that Ren didn't like him. _… I don't **dislike** him. I’m just not used to all the attention, _she thought with a small sigh. She couldn't let feelings like that cloud her judgement of him. _He's a nice guy, just… odd._

“Lee isn't very good at chemistry. I’m sure I would seem smart to him,” she said as she powdered her face with foundation. “I don't really know why he's so hung up on _me,_ though. I’ve hardly done anything to warrant his attention. I’m just nice to him.”

“That's your first mistake right there!” Ino cried, and Ren jumped as her form suddenly appeared in the mirror to throw an arm around her shoulders. “You should _never_ be nice to a guy you don't know! They start getting ideas, like you like them or something!” she scolded as she picked up the brush for Ren’s blush and began dabbing it across her cheeks. “Besides, Ren, you're a lot prettier than you realize. You’re probably the first pretty girl who's given him the time of day! Of course, how could you know? You’re naïve about these kinds of things,” she sighed with a click of her tongue and handed the brush back to the slightly perplexed girl. Though others may find Ino's lack of tact and borderline abrasiveness undesirable or even insulting, Ren often found that it complimented her own insecure and sometimes clueless nature. Ren knew little about the ways of men, having grown up closed off from forming any meaningful relationships with others, and though the delivery was a bit coarse Ino frequently knew what she was talking about. As she dusted her face with the rosy powder, she frowned thoughtfully.

 _Could Lee be into me? We've only known each other a week, though._ Still, he had ended up on top of her once and saved her from a few thugs in that little time. The strangest part was that Ren wasn't particularly bothered by the idea.

It made her happy.

By the time the girls rolled up to Naruto's house, the party was already in full-swing. Ino squeezed into a small space between another convertible and a massive truck, while Ren frowned uncertainly at the unassuming two-story building; the festivities were spilling out into the front yard, with partygoers lounging about with red plastic cups in their hands as they shouted at each other over the garishly loud hip-hop music blasting from the structure. Ren could nearly understand every word despite all the windows and doors being closed, and she couldn't imagine how deafening it was within. She considered for a moment abandoning the endeavor to take shelter in Ino's car for the night, but before she could voice her misgivings her friends dragged her into the chaos of thumping music and bodies.

If the music was thunderous before, inside, it sounded as if the lightning gods themselves had descended to Earth to wage their terrible, deafening battle. Ren clamped her hands over her ears to project her fragile eardrums from bursting at the force of the sound waves. Ino grinned and shouted something at her, but it was lost amongst the rap music and raised voices, and so Ren just looked at her quizzically.

“I said, let's go find some drinks!” she shouted once again, pulling on of Ren's hands from her ears to bring her mouth close enough for the startled girl to hear. Before she could even consent, her friend grabbed her firmly by the wrist to spirit her further into the energized household. In the living, standing on the couch with two plastic cups of beer in his hands and pink cheeks, was their host.

“Heyyyyyy! Ladies, you made it!” He hopped down from the couch, the brown liquid sloshing about at the rim of the cups and running down the sides onto his fingers; he seemed not to notice. “Booze is in the kitchen! Help yourselves.”

“Do you have anything besides alcohol?” Ren asked, and when he pointed at his ear and shook his head with a confused expression, she screamed it at him.

“Oh, yeah! There's some sodas, too! Have whatever you want!” he beamed and proceeded to drain the dregs of his cups in rapid succession before grinning at them with beer foam coating his lips. He opened his mouth to speak but a loud, deep burp only came out. “Whoops, sorry!” he snickered as Ren wrinkled up her nose in disgust at the vulgar display. “What is it, Ren, do ya not drink?”

“You're too much of a goody-two-shoes!” Ino scolded and grabbed her by the shoulders to twirl her around and steer her toward the small kitchen. “You’re at a party, damn it! Act like it!”

“ _One_ of us has to be sober enough to drive home, you know!”

“Don't worry! Sakura has it covered! She has a Calculus quiz on Monday and has already said she isn't drinking! See?” Ino pressed while gesturing to the aforementioned girl, who popped the tab of a soda can and sipped it femininely before sidling over to Sasuke, who was leaning against the refrigerator looking as cool as ever as he watched the party with disinterest and occasionally took a swig of his beer. _She's gotta be sober to shoot her shot is what it is,_ Ren thought with a sigh and looked uncertainly at the various alcohol bottles littered across the tiled counters and in ice chests. Vodka, beers, rum, even bottles of wine were strewn about in various levels of consumption. Ino prodded her in the ribs repeatedly, bleating at her to loosen up and try something, and so she gingerly reached out to grasp a can of beer from the ice chest at her feet, recoiling slightly at how frigidly cold it was; then, before she could talk sense into herself, she popped it open and took a large drink of it.

“Ugh!” she gasped as the bitter liquid hit her tongue and throat, and by some grace of God she managed to swallow the vile stuff. “It's _disgusting_!” Ino laughed heartily and plucked herself one from the ice, opening it and drinking it without so much as a grimace. “It’s an acquired taste. Keep sipping on it! It'll grow on you!” she said while clapping her on the shoulder before she turned to descend into the crowd, hips swaying seductively in the hopes of attractive herself some attention. Ren frowned deeply but obediently continued taking small sips of the beer, shuddering and making faces all the while.

 _Now that I’m alone, I should find Lee and should apologize to him._ Timidly, she edged out of the kitchen and into the heart of the party, squeezing through the horde of people with bright red cheeks and muttered “excuse me's.” Most of them didn't even give her a passing glance, but some glanced at her with raised eyebrows, and a few passed rather unsettling glances her way before elbowing their friends with snickers. Ren could only imagine what kind of lewd thoughts were passing through the drunk boys' minds, and so she just focused on moving as quickly as possible before they could decide to harass her in some way or another. She paused occasionally to stand on her tip-toes and peer around heads and over shoulders with no luck. Though one would think it easy to find a man with a bowl cut and large eyebrows, Rock Lee eluded her.

 _Maybe he’s avoiding me._ As the thought creeped in her mind, she leaned up against one of the walls and dismally drank her beer. It was quite likely that Lee had already seen her, and, to avoid an awkward conversation, went and hidden himself. Ino would probably say just to let him sulk, that it's better for her anyway, but Ren could not simply ignore it. _I want to make things right!_ She took another large swig of her beer, finding that it had in fact grown on her a bit, and descended back into the madness.

Six beers and two hours later, Ren was still empty-handed and now hopelessly drunk. She wasn’t a heavy consumer of alcohol like many of her peers, and thus lacked any kind of tolerance. She was currently slumped over in a chair, her head bobbing up and down slightly as she watched the colors and light swirl around her in a confusing puddle, like soap upon the surface of water _. I… I feel strange._ She raised a hand and wiggled her fingers, but though the digits obeyed her command, she could not feel the muscles tensing at all. She was going numb. Her hand flopped back down to her side, and when she looked up, she was surprised to see a pair of bright blue eyes and yellow hair had appeared in the shifting painting of her vision.

“Ren? You okay? Where are Ino and Sakura?” His voice sounded strange, like she was listening to it through water. She blinked slowly as she took a moment to comprehend his words.

“I think I’m drunk…” Her words were as unfocused as her mind, sloshing like the alcohol in Naruto's cups. “I don’t know where they are.” She sunk back into the plush fabric of the chair, running her fingers across the soft fabric. “This feels really nice…” she mumbled and leaned down to rub her cheek over the divine surface. When she looked back up, Naruto was staring at her with a mixture of amusement and pity.

“All right, let's get you some water and get you a place to lie down. I can't leave you out here like this,” he sighed and took her by the hand to pull her to her feet. For a moment, she felt as if she were flying, and held her arms out to flutter them gently like a bird; this disrupted her already poor balance, and she wobbled unsteadily on jelly-like legs before falling against Naruto's broad chest.

“Whoa… You're really muscular, you know?” she gawked and ran her hand back and forth across his tee-shirt, which did little to hide the sculpted body. “No wonder the girls like you so much!”

“Thanks, Ren,” he snorted and gently pulled her hand away, holding his arm firmly around her small shoulders as he guided her towards the stairs. She stumbled over her feet as they refused to obey her mind's muddled commands, and her head swiveled about as her hazy eyes drank in the chaotic atmosphere. The blurry forms of people shifted back and forth, their raucous laughter echoing in her ears as the once-loud music barely hummed in the background. A few partygoers were already passed out on the couches, arms and legs slung about as they breathed loudly through their mouths. A few still had half-empty bottles clutched in their hands. A few times Ren would whip around, feeling someone touching her, and it would turn out to be only her limp arm brushing against her leg. When the reached the stairs, Ren grasped the railing and went to step up, but due to her poor depth perception she placed her weight in empty air and went falling forward. Naruto grabbed her by the hips to steady her as her world reeled, and she knitted her eyebrows together as the steps seemed to start moving back and forth like a flag in the wind.

“I can't,” she stammered quietly. “I’m falling!”

“It's all right. I've got you. Can I carry you?” Ren nodded as vigorously as she could without making herself nauseous, clutching onto the rail with both hands now as her legs seemed to melt to butter beneath her. Gently, he scooped her into his arms, and she exhaled sharply as her head flopped limply against his chest and her unresponsive limbs dangled. As her vision whirled like a spinning globe, Naruto brought her up the stairs and down the hall into a spare bedroom. He gently laid her on the bed, and it felt like a cloud was embracing her, making her release a soft sigh. She poked at the spongey mattress with a smile, while Naruto watched her uncomfortably.

“Man, I can’t believe Ino just let you loose knowin’ you've never drank before. I’m gonna give her a piece of my mind!” he fumed and stamped his foot as Ren continued to look around the room like a baby seeing the world for the first time. “Ren!” he barked and snapped his fingers in front of her face a few times.

“Huh?”

“I'm gonna have someone come up here and sit with you, okay, and bring you some water. Are you going to be all right?” he asked worriedly.

“You're so sweet,” she smiled brightly as her head flopped back into the pillow, and she reached up with a hand to clumsily stroke the side of his face that was leaned over hers. “You’re gonna make a fine husband to somebody, ya know?” He snorted with laughter and patted her on the head as he straightened up.

“Hang tight.” When he left the room, Ren turned her head skyward to watch the ceiling fan rotate, her head moving in a circle as she followed the wooden blades with childlike wonder. When the door opened again, she turned her head and strangled gasp escaped her.

There in the threshold clutching a bottle of water was the man she had been looking for all night.

“Lee!”


End file.
